Keegan leans an 18-foot ladder against the top of a wall. The bottom of the ladder is 4.5 feet from the base of the wall. What i
s the approximate height of the wall? A 13.5 feet B 16.0 feet C 17.5 feet D 18.5 feet
1 answer:
Answer: C. 17.5 feet
Step-by-step explanation:
The attached photo shows the triangle ABC formed by the ladder and the wall. It is a right angle triangle because one of its angles is 90 degrees. The ladder is the hypotenuse of the triangle. To determine the height of the wall, we would find BC by applying Pythagoras theorem
Hypotenuse^2 = opposite ^2 + adjacent^2
18^2 + 4.5^2 + BC^2
BC^2 = 324 - 20.25 = 303.75
BC = √303.75 = 17.5 feet.
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